we did a q&a afterwards, talking about things that we liked to do, didn't like, lenses, experiences, etc. there were some things that were helpful, but other things geared towards those girls wanting to go big time. while we were talking, heidi mentioned OpLove.

she said it was for military, but i didn't have a clue what she was talking about at all.

OpLove is short for 'Operation Love ReUnited'.there is an online list of photographers in the area that military families have to use for when they want to do photos of their loved ones deployment/return. i checked the list for our area. within a 50 mile radius, there are only 2 photographers registered. 2. and i guess that wouldn't be such a blow to me, but we have mcconnell afb so close by... to me 2 is a sad number.

even more so since i know my own husband will be deploying and we're going to be one of those families wanting photos done.

that being said, i want to encourage any photographers out there reading this, no matter where your home is, to register and give back to these families. you have no idea what these families go through. heck, i have no idea the bulk of what they go through, but i am slowly finding out first hand. i know they will appreciate you!

Friday, March 25, 2011

i'm looking into opening some time up for photossaturday, april 9th.i have a family member that wanted senior photos at 5pm, which i am planning on renting a lens for, so i want to get as much use out of the lens rental as i can! :) i should have a post up by april 1st pertaining to that weekend, so keep your eyes open for times.

i've been bitten with the spring cleaning bug. i will admit that i absolutely love to clean the house and remove unused items. my sister always says that i like to give everything away. not true. i just don't like things to sit and collect dust. so here are my latest items to add to my 'for sale' list.

my sigma 50-200mm 4-5.6 lens(CANON mount).

i purchased it from adorama last spring. i thought i'd use it a ton.

apparently i was wrong. my 50mm stays on my camera 24-7, so i think it's time to say farewell. i got it for $180 and i'm selling it for $90...with it goes my kit lens(canon 18-55mm w/out image stabilization). i will send the two to a new home for $90. i just want someone who could really use them. i hate for them to be here when someone may be needing them, but not able to afford them at full price.

out go the lenses, so out goes the heavy duty bag.

this is a tamrac velocity 9 bag. it has some serious lens room in it. and padding. a lot of padding. i've enjoyed it. it's protected my equipment from kids, rain, kids...it's been great.

this bag was going for $90-$100 on ebay last year. i got it brand new for $65. it was my awesome purchase of the year. since i've had it for about a year, i'm selling it for $45. it's in almost new condition. in the main carrying area i've held the kit lens, my 50mm, the telephoto and a 24-70mm, along w the body, all at the same time. it has a sling strap that goes across your body, too. there are bags on ebay right now, the new ones have photos of the insides. i wanted to link it, but i was afraid that once i did, the bag that i linked it to would be sold on ebay.

if these are still at my house come april 2nd, they will be going into my garage sale. you can email me if you're interested in making an offer. jeaswhyte(at)yahoo(dot)com.

i always shoot him with his sunglasses on(well, not always cause i LOVE his pretty eyes, but when it's sunny i do.) today was a terrible photo day for him. we rushed after dinner to get down to the bridge during sunset. the kid's face was super dried out and i forgot to re-apply lotion this afternoon, he'd just eaten dinner and had food on his teeth, and had food on his collar. all that added to the fact that he couldn't find his sunglasses in the truck, killed my photo mood. we were there a whole 2.5 minutes and i said, "that's it. let's go home".

of course that was hardly a crowd pleaser. we'd been talking about going down to "captain hook's bridge" all day.

so to make it up to them, despite how i felt physically, we stopped by sedgwick co. park for a while.

this is the joy a photographer who tries to capture kids has to look forward to.

one likes the camera. one has adhd.

no matter where you go, there is always something they feel is more important to be looking at.

for me, there's always that blasted boy. he stuck his tongue out at me! haha.

so i rolled with it.

"show each other your silly faces."

"emily, show your brother your face."

"okay now, aiden, show your sister your face."

that's my favorite photo of the day.

all of those were shot in a 3 minute time frame.

i don't mess around when it comes to photographing my kids.

especially at the park, since all they wanna do is go play!

photographer lesson of the day:

acting ridiculous is the only thing that ever saves

photo shoots.

remember that.

it may just save your sanity.

the swing photos aren't really crisp and clear(at least not on super zoom in lightroom), but i loved them too much not to include them. looking at them is actually making me feel peaceful. well, that and the fact that i have 'sleeping at last' playing in my ears. they really calm my nerves. :)

Welcome from the Whyte House.

I'm Susie Whyte...mother of 2, a sailor's wife, fan of pacifiers and soccer. I feel very passionate about photographing lower income families, to fill the need for families that cannot afford photos. Memories are one thing that will never be scarce, even if money in the bank is.